The Bells Are Ringing Between Israel and China

May 20, 1986

TEL AVIV (May. 19)

Israel and the People’s Republic of China opened their first telephone connections Monday. Calls now go through the telephone exchanges in each country but direct dialing will become possible in the not too distant future.

Israel Radio recorded and broadcast the first telephone conversation between countries at the opposite ends of the Asian continent. It was between the supervisors at their respective exchanges. The Chinese supervisor asked her Tel Aviv counterpart how to spell the name Israel. She wasn’t quite sure where it is located.